1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to speaker identification over a communications channel.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventional calling line identification (CLID) and the associated display terminals have become commonplace in the market. Known CLID services deliver the directory number, subscriber name or business name associated with the calling telephone line rather than the true identity of the caller. Human recognition of the caller, if known to the called party, must be relied on for verifying a caller's identity. The value of human recognition, however, is limited by the fact that the caller may not be known to the called party. Thus known CLID services fail to provide an assured identity of the caller that can be acted on reliably.
Consequently, the CLID cannot be acted on with certainty since the same CLID is delivered regardless of who actually places the call. For example, when all members of a household share the same CLID associated with a subscriber number, the displayed name and number does not identify which of the several family members is making the call. If a call is placed by an individual away from their customary phone as would occur for a business traveler at a payphone, hotel room, or colleague's desk, the caller's personal identity is not delivered.
CLID information is transmitted on the subscriber loop using frequency shift keyed (FSK) modem tones. These FSK modem tones are used to transmit the display message in American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII) character code form. The transmission of the display message takes place between the first and second ring. Hence, the CLID data is not sent once the call is established.
As such, the aforementioned problems with CLID are further exacerbated within the context of conference calls. With respect to conference calls, once each participant is connected, it can be difficult for a listener to discern the identity of a speaking party. This may result from the listener's unfamiliarity with the speaker or that several of the conference call participants sound alike. Because CLID is transmitted prior to the telephone call, CLID is not well suited to address this problem.